Radiance and Submission

Last updated
Radiance and Submission
CFCFRadianceandSubmission.jpg
Studio album by
CFCF
ReleasedJuly 31, 2015
Recorded2013–14
Genre
Length34:18
Label Driftless Recordings
Producer Michael Silver
CFCF chronology
Outside
(2013)		Radiance and Submission
(2015)		"The Colours of Life"
(2015)
Singles from Radiance and Submission
  1. "The Ruined Map"
    Released: June 4, 2015 [6]
  2. "La Soufrière"
    Released: July 16, 2015 [7]

Radiance and Submission is the third studio album of Canadian electronic musician Michael Silver, known by his stage name as CFCF. Silver was inspired to make Radiance and Submission from his purchase of an acoustic guitar. Therefore, the LP involves numerous guitar melodies and harmonies playing at the same time. It was released on July 31, 2015 by the label Driftless Recordings and was Silver's first Billboard entry, peaking at number eight on the magazine's American New Age Albums chart. Radiance and Submission garnered a mixed critical reception upon its distribution.

Contents

Recording and concept

Junichiro Tanizaki 02.jpg
Herzog4.jpg
The title of the tracks on Radiance and Submissions include references to the works of Jun'ichirō Tanizaki (left) and Werner Herzog (right).

Radiance and Submission was recorded in the winter of 2013 to 2014. [1] The album deals with themes of isolation, which, according to Ian King of The Line of Best Fit, may have been a result from how Silver felt when he produced the album in the winter. [1] For the album, Silver went for a record that represented a paradox of “non-time, non-being, non-death.” [8] As a Spectrum Culture critic analyzed the music's relationship with Matsuda Matsuo's cover art for Radiance and Submission, "[the artwork consists of] a cold scene, a family of sorts, kneeling, seeming to mourn the death of a unknown figure, beside a conceptual lake or seaside, [and] the long echoy synth-leads call upon an open space and [are] almost animalistic in its tone and flavor." [8]

The names of the tracks on Radiance and Submission are based on the titles of Japanese writings and the films of German filmmaker Werner Herzog. [1] The title of “In Praise of Shadows” is also the name of Jun'ichirō Tanizaki's essay about Japanese aesthetics, the name of “The Ruined Map” is the title of a 1967 book by Kōbō Abe, and "La Soufrière" is titled after Herzog's 1977 documentary about an erupting volcano. [1] Herzog previously had a major influence on Silver's music when he recorded his EP The River (2010), which was based on Herzog's Fitzcarraldo (1982). [1]

Composition

Radiance and Submission is mostly an instrumental record, exceptions being the tracks "The Ruined Map" and "La Soufriere" which feature vocal performances from Silver. [9] Silver categorized Radiance and Submission as a hybrid of folk, classical, modern pop music, and chamber jazz. [10] The music mainly consists of numerous acoustic guitar melodies and harmonies being performed simultaneously; [11] Silver was inspired to make an album of this style after he purchased a guitar, and he listened to the improvisational guitar works of Pat Metheny, Terry Callier, and Terje Rypdal while producing Radiance and Submission. [1] [11] The album includes a mixture of both digital and acoustic sounds that have an "even struggle for dominance throughout," wrote Craig Clemens of Spectrum Culture. [8]

A review by Justin Pearson published in Soundblab described Radiance and Submission as "less of a background and more of a backdrop. Instead of fading into your surroundings, it augments them in the manner of a curtain, closing off all the unnecessary aspects to shine a light on the now. It brings into focus whatever your current surroundings are and stages that location, whether physically or emotionally." [9] Radiance and Submission has a much more minimal structure than CFCF's previous album Outside (2013), where "even in busier moments, there is sufficient enough breathing room to catch each sound and instrument’s subtle exhalations," wrote King. [1] King also described it as somewhere between CFCF's extended plays Exercises (2012), a record where each song sounded the same, and Music for Objects (2013), where all of its tracks sound very disparate from each other: "Each song [on Radiance and Submission] sets out to achieve something apart from the others, but the motion between them is often fluid." [1]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic? 6.1/10 [12]
Metacritic 67/100 [13]
Review scores
SourceRating
Consequence of Sound C+ [2]
Exclaim! 6/10 [14]
In Your Speakers63/100 [4]
The Line of Best Fit7.5/10 [1]
Now Noto Color- N.svgNoto Color- N.svgNoto Color- N.svgBlue square N.PNGBlue square N.PNG [15]
Pitchfork 6.9/10 [3]
Soundblab7/10 [9]
Spectrum CultureStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [8]
State Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [16]

Pearson, in a favorable review of Radiance and Submission, opined, "Radiance and Submission plays out like a collection of inward-seeking moments that serves to highlight those pure, specific feelings of time and place - the ones unbothered by intrusion from the outside." [9] Clemens enjoyed the album as being the most "complex" from other new age music, highlighting the record's "compositional techniques, such as his ability to develop and articulate counter-point and his ability to set a scene with nothing more than well-constructed sound to get his point across." [8] However, he also opined that the short length of each track was a major drawback of the record: "Silver has spent so much time and effort to build a song up to this great climax, but then just gives up." [8] Pitchfork 's Clayton Purdom was another critic that highlighted the album's compositional methods, more specifically its use of "interstitial moments:" "The establishing shots and denouements of his compositions are here turned into the raw material for something strange and fascinating and (for him, at least) new." [3]

Journalist Benjamin Boles gave the album a score of a three out of five, calling its first half the "weakest" part and the rest of the record the most "interesting," where "Silver's soft vocals begin to give the songs a sharper focus and a human vulnerability." [15] Ali Van Houten of In Your Speakers wrote that while Radiance and Submission was decent, it wasn't worth more than one listen, reasoning that it "gets bogged down in the territory of aimless ambience." [4] Similarly, James Glynn of State magazine labeled the album as a "lovely, yet largely unexciting listen" and "a triumph of elegance over endeavour." [16] He explained that, despite its "crisp production," "tranquil composition," and "intriguing musical variations," it "lacks spice." [16] A reviewer for the webzine Treble, however, was much harsher on the album's contrived and aimless quality, calling it "unacceptable" given Silver's past experiences of experimenting with styles that were more "loud and even scary." [17] Some reviewers criticized the album's combination of acoustic folk and electronic music. [2] [14] Writer Matthew Sedacca found it to be "finicky," stating that "Silver attempts to force stylistic egalitarianism, the two sides of his composition awkwardly failing to join." [2] An Exclaim! journalist opined than the album was a "stunningly simple, meditative listen" for only "a handful of moments," writing that "the Montreal musician attempts a serene matrimony of the two musical sides that struggles to strike a balance between stimulating and stale when it comes to the record's overarching sound." [14]

Track listing

Source: [18]

All songs written and produced by Michael Silver.

No.TitleLength
1."In Praise Of Shadows"4:07
2."Sculptures Of Sand"3:43
3."A Various Language (From The Same Hill)"3:54
4."Tethered In Dark"6:56
5."The Ruined Map"2:58
6."Blanketed In Snow A Place Returned"3:50
7."La Soufrière"3:15
8."Two Mirrors"5:35
Total length:34:18
Sample credits

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label
Worldwide [6] July 31, 2015
Driftless Recordings

Charts

Chart (2015)Peak
position
US New Age Albums ( Billboard ) [19] 8

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ambient music</span> Music genre

Ambient music is a genre of music that emphasizes tone and atmosphere over traditional musical structure or rhythm. It may lack net composition, beat, or structured melody. It uses textural layers of sound that can reward both passive and active listening and encourage a sense of calm or contemplation. The genre is said to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual", or "unobtrusive" quality. Nature soundscapes may be included, and the sounds of acoustic instruments such as the piano, strings and flute may be emulated through a synthesizer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Tell Me (Madonna song)</span> 2000 single by Madonna

"Don't Tell Me" is a song recorded by American singer Madonna for her eighth studio album, Music (2000). It was released as the second single from the album on November 14, 2000, by Maverick Records. Madonna co-wrote and co-produced the track with Mirwais Ahmadzaï, with additional writing from her brother-in-law, Joe Henry. Henry originally conceived it as a tango-styled torch song called "Stop"; the demo was later sent to Madonna, who then proceeded to change its musical composition, turning it into a country-dance song. Lyrically, Madonna asks her lover not to control her.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metric (band)</span> Canadian indie rock band

Metric is a Canadian indie rock band founded in 1998 in Toronto, Ontario. The band consists of Emily Haines, James Shaw, Joshua Winstead and Joules Scott-Key. The band started in 1998 as a duo formed by Haines and Shaw with the name "Mainstream". After releasing an EP titled Mainstream EP, they changed the band's name to Metric.

<i>Ambient 3: Day of Radiance</i> 1980 studio album by Laraaji

Ambient 3: Day of Radiance (1980) is an album by the American ambient musician Laraaji, which was produced by Brian Eno.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Lake Swimmers</span> Canadian folk rock band

Great Lake Swimmers is a Canadian folk rock band from Wainfleet, Ontario, and currently based in Toronto.

CFCF is the stage name of Canadian electronic musician/vocalist Michael Silver. Based in Montreal, Silver took the name CFCF from the call sign of the city's CFCF-TV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitehorse (band)</span> Canadian folk rock band

Whitehorse is a Canadian folk rock band, composed of husband-and-wife duo Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland. Based in Hamilton, Ontario, Doucet and McClelland were both established singer-songwriters before opting to put their solo careers on hold to work together as Whitehorse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milky Chance</span> German rock band

Milky Chance is a German rock band originating in Kassel. It consists of vocalist and guitarist Clemens Rehbein, bassist and percussionist Philipp Dausch, and their band members, Antonio Greger and Sebastian Schmidt.

"One" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran for his second studio album, x (2014). Sheeran wrote the song immediately after releasing his debut album, + (2011). It marked the last occasion wherein Sheeran wrote about his former girlfriend, who inspired all the romantic compositions on +. "One" was produced by frequent collaborator Jake Gosling and its music was based primarily on acoustic guitar. Critics were generally positive toward the song; it was noted for its guitar-driven sound and Sheeran's use of falsetto.

United Pursuit is an American contemporary worship music band founded in 2006 from Knoxville, Tennessee. They have released three live albums, EP in 2008, Radiance in 2009, and Simple Gospel in 2015. The 2015 album was their breakthrough release upon the Billboard charts.

<i>On Vacation</i> (CFCF album) Album by CFCF

On Vacation is a mini-album by Canadian electronic musician Michael Silver, known by his stage name as CFCF, and the second record in Balearic beat music label International Feel's On Vacation mini-album series. On Vacation was initially planned to be a project of two extended plays titled Road Movie and House Music; this was before an International Feel A&R worker suggested to Silver he should make the project one whole album. International Feel first released vinyl versions of the LP in Europe on February 17, 2016 before releasing it in digital shops all around the world on February 19.

<i>The Colours of Life</i> 2015 studio album (composition) by CFCF

"The Colours of Life'" is a composition written and recorded in 2011 by Canadian electronic musician Michael Silver, known by his stage name as CFCF. The 40-minute, twelve-movement track was influenced by what Silver described as "some really cornball music," such as the works of singer Phil Collins and the Windham Hill label. The style Silver went for with "The Colours of Life" was "call waiting background music, just the most pleasant thing and kind of trying to push to the edges of tolerable cheese in some places, but also have it be totally sincere and not ironic, like actually purely pleasurable music."

<i>Music for Objects</i> 2013 EP by CFCF

Music for Objects is an extended play by Canadian electronic musician Michael Silver, known by his stage name as CFCF. The EP is a 24-minute set of eight compositions that are meant to showcase the emotion of everyday objects, a concept inspired by Wim Wenders' documentary film Notebook on Cities and Clothes (1989). Music for Objects has the same ambient feel as CFCF's previous EP Exercises (2012) but with a much more uplifting tone. Music for Objects was released in July 2013 in European territories by Dummy Records and in North America by Paper Bag Records, and garnered favorable reviews from professional reviewers upon its distribution. Some critics wrote it was enjoyable without knowing its object concept, while others praised how it represented the objects.

<i>Continent</i> (CFCF album) 2009 studio album by CFCF

Continent is the debut studio album by Canadian electronic musician Michael Silver, known by his stage name as CFCF. It was released on October 27, 2009 by the label Paper Bag Records. Continent is a downtempo dance album that was described by one reviewer as "dance music that doesn't want you to dance." It includes elements from a variety of styles such as IDM, balearic, synthpop, rave, and disco and differs from later CFCF albums more focused on new age and ambient compositions. Continent features a cover of the song "Big Love" by Fleetwood Mac. The LP garnered very favorable reviews from professional music reviewers, praises going towards its compositions, arrangements and use of musical styles.

<i>The River</i> (EP) 2010 EP by CFCF

The River is an extended play written and produced from 2009 to 2010 by Canadian electronic musician Michael Silver, known by his stage name as CFCF. It was inspired by Werner Herzog's 1982 film Fitzcarraldo. Described by RVNG Intl.'s press release as a series of "lucid sound sequences from a lunatic mind," the experimental downtempo psychedelic new age EP was analyzed by music journalist Jonny Coleman as the story of a character who is stranded in a rural, tribal land. The River is a set of six original tracks by Silver with digital download versions of the record containing four remixes of songs from the EP by acts such as Jacques Renault, Coyote, and Games. The River was released by label RVNG Intl. on October 12, 2010 to generally positive reviews from critics, some reviewers calling its more modern-sounding cuts to be the best of the entire record.

<i>Exercises</i> (EP) 2012 EP by CFCF

Exercises is the fifth extended play in the discography of Canadian musician Michael Silver, known by his stage name as CFCF. The extended play was inspired by brutalist architecture and several synthesizer-heavy modern classical and piano-only works that Silver listened to during the fall and winter of 2010–11, which were the "soundtrack" to how he felt "kind of uncertain” in those seasons. Its cover art by Ken Schwarz, Josh Clancy, and Travis Stearns shows one of the buildings the extended play was inspired by.

<i>Outside</i> (CFCF album) 2013 studio album by CFCF

Outside is the second studio album of Canadian electronic musician Michael Silver, known by his stage name as CFCF. Silver began work on a second CFCF LP shortly after the release of his debut album Continent (2009) in order to increase his reputation of being more than just a "house DJ." The record has feelings of being tired and hoping to reach something, which was influenced by Silver's experience in traveling to and from places such as New York, Toronto, and Montreal. He would often look at other landscapes while he was bored during travels and became "immersed" in the fantasies caused by looking at them.

<i>Yellow Kitchen</i> 2017 studio album by Mark Kozelek & Sean Yeaton

Yellow Kitchen is a collaboration album between American musician and singer Mark Kozelek of Sun Kil Moon and Sean Yeaton, bassist of Parquet Courts, released on June 30, 2017 by Caldo Verde Records, though available for streaming shortly prior to that. Kozelek and Yeaton met at a Dutch festival in summer 2016, and recorded and self-produced Yellow Kitchen from December 2016 to May 2017 in the United States. Guest appearances on the album include Steve Shelley and Jim White on drums and Holly Throsby and Will Oldham on vocals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean-Michel Blais</span> Canadian musician (born 1984)

Jean-Michel Blais is a composer and pianist from Quebec, Canada.

<i>Ging Ging</i> 2000 studio album by Purr Machine

Ging Ging is the debut studio album by Purr Machine, released on January 13, 2000, by Re-Constriction Records.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 King, Ian (July 24, 2015). "Radiance and Submission by CFCF". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Sedacca, Matthew (July 23, 2015). "CFCF – Radiance and Submission". Consequence of Sound . Retrieved September 30, 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 Purdom, Clayton (23 July 2015). "CFCF: Radiance and Submission". Pitchfork . Conde Nast. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 Van Houten, Ali (July 31, 2015). "CFCF: Radiance and Submission". In Your Speakers. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
  5. ↑ Sherburne, Philip (August 25, 2015). "The Tide Is High: 10 Records from the Balearic Revival". Pitchfork. Conde Nast. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
  6. 1 2 Hughes, Josiah (June 4, 2015). "CFCF "The Ruined Map"". Exclaim! . Retrieved October 7, 2017.
  7. ↑ "CFCF – La Soufrière". Dummy. July 16, 2015. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Clemens, Craig (10 September 2015). "CFCF: Radiance and Submission". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Pearson, Justin (29 July 2015). "CFCF – Radiance and Submission". Soundblab. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
  10. ↑ Reynaldo, Shawn (February 29, 2016). "CFCF: Painfully sincere". Resident Advisor . Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  11. 1 2 M. Preister, Alec (February 9, 2016). "The Remix Grammy: For the Art and Science of the Musical Cocktail". The New York Times . The New York Times Company. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  12. ↑ "Radiance And Submission by CFCF". AnyDecentMusic? Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  13. ↑ "Reviews and Tracks for Radiance And Submissionby CFCF". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  14. 1 2 3 Slingerland, Calum (July 29, 2015). "CFCF Radiance and Submission". Exclaim! . Retrieved September 30, 2017.
  15. 1 2 Boles, Benjamin (July 29, 2015). "CFCF". Now . Now Communications. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
  16. 1 2 3 Glynn, James (31 July 2015). "CFCF – Radiance and Submission". State . Retrieved September 30, 2017.
  17. ↑ Blyweiss, Adam (September 4, 2015). "CFCF : Radiance and Submission". Treble. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  18. 1 2 Radiance & Submission (2015). CFCF. Driftless Recordings. DFS012.
  19. ↑ "CFCF Radiance & Submission Chart History". Billboard . Prometheus Global Media. October 8, 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.